Are you ‘skinny fat’?

The common wisdom is that if you’re overweight you're unhealthy, and if you’re thin, you're healthy. New research says otherwise.

Photo: iStock

On the outside, you’re an average Joe with a normal build and a pant size that’s readily available. But on the inside – it’s a different story.

The term "skinny fat” is a phrase used to describe people who look fit and healthy on the surface yet, due to a lack of exercise or poor diet, have a slew of health problems brewing beneath it.

One study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found nearly one in four skinny people have pre-diabetes and are “metabolically obese.” In other words, are skinny fat.

Here’s the thing: diabetes is the fastest-growing chronic health problem plaguing Aussies, yet many of us wouldn’t know how to spot if we were at risk of the deadly disease.

One Australian is diagnosed with diabetes every five minutes. Of those, 85-95 per cent will be diagnosed with type 2, a condition that’s both deadly and preventable.

Sof Andrikopoulos, CEO of the Australian Diabetes Society, describes type 1 and type 2 diabetes as diseases of the pancreas, in which the pancreas is unable to secrete enough insulin to regulate the glucose levels in our blood.

“With type 1, the immune system actually kills the cells that produce insulin so there’s a complete deficiency. With type 2, the insulin-producing cells don’t work efficiently so there’s a relative deficiency.”

Type 2 used to typically affect men and women who were over 55. That’s all changed now, Andrikopoulos says: “When I started in diabetes research 25 years ago, you had to be over 55 to get type 2 but now we’re seeing it in young adults, adolescents and even in children under 10. It all comes down to our lifestyle – the majority of patients with type 2 diabetes are obese.”

To stop type 2 diabetes taking hold, be aware of signs that might indicate a fast-track to diagnosis. Left undiagnosed and untreated, type 2 diabetes can lead to illness, amputation, even death.

Signs you’re at risk

If any of these ring true, now’s the time to act. Talk to your GP or health care professional

“Cutting down the number of sugary drinks you have or how many sugars you put in your coffee every day can mean a big reduction in your discretionary kilojoule intake. Over six months, the benefits of that are huge.”

It’s a case of minimising the amount of treat foods you have now, so that you don’t have to give them up forever.

“Once you’ve been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, diet is critical to managing it properly,” Andrikopoulos says. “That means saying goodbye to all excessive kilojoules – the burgers, the pizza, the soft drinks. It all has to go.”

“Just as exercise improves insulin resistance, a lack of activity makes it harder for those insulin-producing cells to do their job, which accelerates the development of diabetes,” Andrikopoulos says.

“You don’t have to run a marathon or lift 100kg at the gym every day but you do need to move regularly. Walking for 30 minutes every day is a cheap and easy way to give your body what it needs and minimise the risk.”

Family history

“If one of your parents has type 2 diabetes, your likelihood of developing it rises by 30 per cent,” Andrikopoulos says. “If both parents have type 2 diabetes, that number jumps to 70 per cent. We can’t control our genes or our parents but we can control other risk factors.

“If you have a family history of diabetes, be vigilant about being active, ensure your weight is in a healthy range, don’t smoke and don’t drink excessively. That’s my advice to anyone, regardless of their history.”

Expanding waistline

“Waist circumference is strongly linked with diabetes risk,” Andrikopoulos says. “If you’re a man and your waistline is 102cm or above or you’re a woman with a waist circumference of 88cm or higher, that’s a very telling sign you could be heading down the path towards diabetes.

“Measuring your waist is easy, too. Just grab a measuring tape and wrap it around your belly. If it measures more than it should, it’s a good idea to see someone about managing your weight, because as well as diabetes, you could be at risk of developing heart disease.”